Rifle.



P. T. GODSAL.

RIFLE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.9,1911.

Patented Sept. 3,1912

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P. T. GODSAL. RIFLE.

APPLICATION 11,111) SEPT. a, 1911.

1 ,O37,4;68,, Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT onrion.

RIFLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

Application filed September 9, 1911. Serial No. 648,451.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP THOMAS Goo-- SAL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Iscoyd Park, Flintshire, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, gentleman, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rifles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to rifles of the type described in the specification of a British patent granted to me and numbered 22003 October 9th 1902.

The cocking of the rifle is effected by the forward movement of the bolt when a projection or cooking piece on the striker comes into engagement with the scar and cramps the striker spring. In this principle of rifleaction the cooking piece and sear are on one side of the bolt and bolt-track and the sear has hitherto been let into the under part of the breech body and has projected rearward and upward into the side of the space occupied by the magazine. I now place the sear and sear-spring on the outside of the breechbody under the lever-lock, which lever-lock I now shape so as to act also as a safetycatch for the sear, the lower part of the right side of the breech-piece being suitably shaped for the reception of these parts. In order that the point of the sear may come into the track of the cocking-piece and hold it back to cock the action, the point of the sear is bent inward over the side of the breech shoe.

The lever-lock which has hitherto been merely a sliding bar I now make with a broad downward extension. This extension is made so that, when the sear is in action, it can be slid back over the bell-crank lever which forms part of the sear and actuates it. Thus the lever-end of the sear cannot be raised and so it is locked and the action cannot be fired. The remainder of the flat downward extension of the lever-lock has a straight edge on the underside that has two rounded notches in it, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. Between the lever of the scar and this edge of the safety-catch the sear spring is placed with its active end pressing down the lever of the scar, and its passive end pressing against a shoulder left as a ful crum, but this passive end of the sear-spring is so far active that I use the back-thrust of its end to press upward into the above mentioned rounded notches on the under surface of the safety catch, and thus the sear-spring acts also as a retaining spring to the safetycatch to hold it in either the open or closed position.

The sear, the sear-spring and the leverlock and safety catch combined in one piece are to be all covered by a plate held on by a screw or screws or by the sear-pin. This plate is made so that all dust and dirt is exeluded. It will be seen that the sear, searspring and safety-catch can all be taken out and adjusted, or the pull-ofi be altered without stripping any other part of the rifle.

The trigger when it is pulled presses upward against a rod that passes through the wood of the stock and pushes the lever-end of the sear upward until the point is lowered sufficiently to release the cocking-piece.

As alternative methods of releasing the sear, the trigger and trigger-rod may be dispensed with altogether and the sear may be actuated by a projection sticking out sidewise either from its front or rear end as described in the specification of British Patent- N o. 18824/04. Also instead of the sear be ing made to have a vertical motion as is usual and has been here described, it may be made with a lateral motion and by pressing a projection on the lever end inward the point of the sear may be drawn outward and so the cocking-piece may be released as described in British patent specification No. 1882 1 /04 above mentioned.

The extractor is on the top of the bolt, but as far as possible to the left and to further increase the side pressure of the extractor I propose to cant it at a slight angle so that it presses a little to the right.

Instead of two projecting pieces from the front of the bolt-head to hold the cartridge against the pressure of the extractor I propose to do away with the one on the left under the extractor and have only the one on the right opposite to the extractor. To prevent a cartridge being caught between this projecting piece and the side of the mag azine or breech I make it to slope up gradually on the left side and thus as cartridges are fed out of the magazine into the chamber they will rise under the extractor and be caught by it.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my present improvements applied to a rifle of the kind before mentioned.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section and with a covering plate removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved form of rifle. Fig. 3 is a side view of the front portion of the bolt and block detached. Fig. 4: is an end view of the block as seen from the front. Figs. 5 and 6 are side and edge plan views of the covering plate. Figs. 7 and 8 show in plan and side views an alternative for the trigger in conjunction with a safety locking means for the lever.

It will only be necessary to refer to those parts of the rifle which I have now improved.

- a is the lever attached to the rotating portion I) of the bolt.

I c is the sliding lock for the lever 11 which lock 0 when in its locking position according to the present improvement also acts upon the sear d and prevents its movement to release the striker e. The lever lock 0 which slides in a recess on the right side of the breech body, and has aprojecting thumb piece 0 has an extending part 0 which, when the lock is drawn back to overlie the lever a, enters the path of movement of the tail of the sear d. The sear d, as shown, rocks in a vertical plane on a center f and has an inturned end g which normally lies in the path of the lug or cocking-piece it carried by the striker. If desired, the sear (2 may be made to rock on a vertical pivot f in a horizontal plane and the hand may press directly on the front end (Z of the sear without the intervention of a trigger (see Figs. 7 and 8).

As shown in Fig. 1 z is a trigger and j a rod underlying the end of the sear by means of which the sear may be rocked. 7c is a scar spring one limb of which is utilized for retaining the lever lock 0, in either of its positions by engaging in notches in the under side of the said lever lock. The position of the lever lock in Fig. l is the free position from which the rifle may be fired or the bolt withdrawn. lVhen the lever lock 0 is moved backward it overlies both the lever a and the tail of the sear (Z and renders both immovable.

Z is the plate (see Figs. 5 and 6) for covering over the sear and keeping the parts 'clean. By preference the arm of the sear where it leaves its casing is thickened as at m to provide lips covering the aperture through which it extends.

The extractor n as shown at Figs. 3 and e is arranged to the left of the block 0 of the bolt and extends downward and leftward the better to cooperate with the one remaining projecting piece 79 on the right of the block. It will be observed that this projecting piece 9 is sloped on its inner side to prevent cartridges being caught and held between it and the side of the magazine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a rifle of the kind specified, the combinat-ion with a bolt sliding in a track, a sear and a lever movable with and rotatable on the bolt, of a lock for both lever and sear, said lock consisting of a sliding bar with a sear locking extension thereon, substantially as described.

2. In a rifle of the kind specified, a cocking piece, a sear and sear spring located on the outside of the breech body, the sear having an end turned inward into the track of the cooking piece.

3. In combination, a sear, a bolt-lever, a lever lock constructed to lock the sear and a scar spring one part of which presses on the sear and another part of which presses against and retains the lever lock safely in its open and closed positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP THOMAS GODSAL.

Witnesses:

ALFRED S. BISHOP, CECIL sI-IERBURN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. 0. 

